As early as the 9th day of the new year, massive wildfires rattled Malibu, a Los Angeles county in California, United States, destroying homes and displacing thousands of residents.
Reports have it that swaths of the United States’ second-largest city lay in ruins, with smoke blanketing the sky and an acrid smell pervading almost every building.
The good news here is that in the midst of this inferno, which has been described as the worst in living memory, some buildings stood safe and provided the platform for fire-fighters to deal with the situation.
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Here lies the lessons for homeowners and sundry landlords in Nigeria. The survival of some homes is also a big lesson for those who are building own homes and also for those who build for commercial purposes, including contractors.
Though Nigeria has no history of wildfires of this magnitude, there has been fire incidents of various descriptions and proportions involving residential, industrial and commercial buildings as well as whole markets. The effects have always been total, meaning that buildings are completely razed.
Fire incidents in the country occur as a result of poor electrical wiring, overcrowded market spaces, illegal structures, lack of fire extinguishers, and inadequate awareness campaigns on fire safety. As at March 2024, market fire had caused losses estimated at N41.50 billion in just two years.
In Los Angelese, while the wildfires raged, one particular house stood firm, unburned. That is David Steiner’s Malibu beach house, making it an iconic image of the Palisades fire. The house is now being referred to as ‘the miracle mansion of Malibu.’
The beachfront house stands tall amid piles of rubble, still smoking from the Palisades fire. A report on the wildfires compiled by Alex Wigglesworth and Joseph Serna explains that the survival of that house is not as a result of supernatural forces.
“The sturdy concrete structure has a fire-resistant roof and tempered, double-paned windows. Fire fighters stood on his balcony to hose down his and neighboring properties; “I tell people it was great architecture, brave firefighters — and maybe a dash of miracle,” the report quotes Steiner as saying.
As stories emerge from the Palisades and Eaton fires of harrowing escapes, tragic losses and widespread destruction, others about homes surviving through some combination of fortunate timing, a lucky wind shift and — according to experts, modern approaches to architecture and landscaping — are coming out of the burn zone.
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Hurricane-force winds that rain down millions of embers result in a higher likelihood of home ignition in general, said California Fire Marshal, Daniel Berlant. Still, research from past fires has shown that fire-hardened homes with good defensible space have a double-digit increase in their chances of surviving, he said. “Home-hardening efforts are absolutely critical,” he said.
The idea is to keep flames and heat away from a home and reduce the likelihood of embers finding a weak spot to enter and burn it from the inside. Measures can include anything from choosing fire-resistant building materials to adding mesh screening to vents and chimneys and closing gaps around exposed rafters.
Clearing vegetation and debris from around a home is also key, Berlant said. These efforts don’t have to be expensive, he said, pointing to a list of low-cost retrofits from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
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